


Home

by girl_next_door_writes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 14:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17024685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girl_next_door_writes/pseuds/girl_next_door_writes
Summary: Sitting at their desk, the ruler of the Underworld contemplates just how much things can change in a year.





	Home

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. When looking at it like that, 525,600, that number seemed quite large but in reality, in her heart, it had flown by. Shuffling the papers in front of her she couldn’t keep her mind on her work, it kept looping back to him, the reluctant god the Spring and how much more at home he seemed sitting by her fireplace reading some long winded book on the stars or some element of science. 

It seemed almost like yesterday that she had her life together, every moment planned to keep out the chill of loneliness. It took a special kind of person to do what she did, it was a privilege to hold her position, she was happy with her own company, didn’t crave attention or have the desire to attend the grand parties with the rest of them. This life suited her. Or at least it had.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand five hundred and 12 minutes ago she had made the routine trip to see her brother. Five hundred twenty-five thousand four hundred and 47 minutes ago she had laid eyes on him. Not her brother, no, she would never have counted the minutes since she first saw him. Mostly because it would be tedious but also because he wasn’t important, not in the same way as the boy was. He had been standing, rather awkwardly in a corner, clearly as uncomfortable as she felt. There was something in the slight pout of his lips, in the shimmering dark tones of his brown hair that drew her attention. Then he looked up. That was it. That was the moment people wrote songs about and poems and died for. The stormy grey, like thunderclouds before a storm, had her caught. The dull noises around her receded and there were only the two of them, looking at each other curiously. No words were spoken between the two of them and this brief interaction was cut shorter by her brother Tony’s arrival. 

“Sister of mine! Come, join the party. Let your hair down. We have dip, you like dip right? How can anyone not like dip?” he grabbed a plate from a passing tray and handed it to her, his hand on her lower back steering her away to a quieter part of the grand room to talk about something he thought hugely important and she felt was inconsequential.

A few weeks later she was standing in the same room, rolling her eyes at her elder brother. “Tony, I don’t need an apprentice.” She sighed in frustration.

“Not an ‘apprentice’ as such. Just, maybe, it would be beneficial for Spring to meet Death.” He grinned. This had to be one of his greatest ideas and he was so proud of himself. It had been his idea, right? Shaking off any doubts he led her to a small room and grinned. “Death, meet Spring. Spring, meet Death.” 

Her breath caught when she saw the dark haired boy. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all. “Fine.” Her tone was a mixture of resignation and irritation and the young man tried to hide a smirk, the sight of which caused the corners of her own lips to twitch upwards. “Let’s go then, Spring. I have work to do.”

“Bucky.” He said quietly and she raised an eyebrow. “My name, it’s Bucky.”

“Okay. Let’s go, Bucky.” She smiled softly and turned to lead him away. 

She had ensured that Bucky had a guide through the Underworld. She had work to do, couldn’t afford to be distracted by attractive guests. That hadn’t prevented her from watching him walking through the gardens, taking in each and every expression that crossed his face. It hadn’t stopped her taking a break and showing him the library. Her responsibilities did very little to avoid long conversations in front of the fire discovering the small details that made him uniquely, Bucky. Each day that passed she grew more accustomed to his presence, on more than one occasion seeking him out. It became routine to find her at her desk working while he sat in the armchair by the fire, reading. 

There was a fondness between them, never vocalised, which was communicated with soft looks and light, lingering touches. She found herself more relaxed, in a better frame of mind to deal with her daily tasks and more likely to step away to regain her own sanity. Then Tony turned up. This was unprecedented. He NEVER showed up in the Underworld and yet here he was, leaning against her desk and rifling through her pen pot. 

“Can I help you?” she asked curtly.

“Not you. I need Bucky. He needs to come home.” Tony got to his feet and looked over at the quiet brunette who was stood in the doorway behind you.

“I am home.” He said simply and you felt a warmth flood through you, a soft smile appearing at his words. 

“This wasn’t the deal. You’ve had your break, now we need you back on your job. The mortal world, it’s in chaos. Nothing is growing, the animals aren’t reproducing, it’s a mess and you need to go fix it.”

“Why can’t you fix it?” she challenged, raising an eyebrow.

“I have enough to do. Come on, you both know that we all have responsibilities…”

“Some more than others.” she snarked, earning a dark look from your brother.

“This isn’t actually anything to do with you, sister. We all know there are two ways this can go and I’m sure none of us want the second way.” The threat in his tone was obvious and she felt Bucky shifting behind her.

“How about another deal?” she asked softly.

“You’re not in a position to deal.” Tony growled.

“I am though. Hear her out.” Bucky moved into the room, the firelight playing on his features making him look strong, possibly strong enough to cause problems for Tony.

“If Bucky goes with you now and rectifies matters he is free to return to the Underworld whenever he likes?” there was a slight shake to her voice, unsure her new friend would even want to return once he was topside. 

“Fine. How about he returns for a set time, to be determined by how long it takes him to set everything straight, and then, if he wants to, he can return to you for the same amount of time? That is the offer and it’s the only one I’m going to make.” Tony glared at the pair, daring them to turn him down.

“Okay.” Bucky nodded, holding out his hand to shake on the deal. As his hand met Tony’s, a cloud of mist engulfed them and they were gone, leaving her standing alone in her study. 

That’s how she had been for the last six months. Alone. Alone, except the ghost of his presence. Everywhere she went now she was reminded of him and as time wore on she became more and more convinced he wouldn’t return. Why would he? It’s not like there was anything here for him. Resting her face in her hands she let out a sigh. This was ridiculous, she needed to concentrate, to forget about those warm grey eyes that haunted her.

“Still working yourself too hard, I see.” A familiar voice cut through her thoughts and she shook her head. It wasn’t the first time she had imagined him speaking to her, but then she heard the door closing and she looked up. Standing up so quickly her chair fell over she rounded her desk and swiftly made her way to him. They both gravitated to each other and he reached up, brushing her hair from her face before lightly caressing her cheek. “Sorry, it took a while but I’m home now.” He whispered, a smile playing on his lips and an affection in his eyes she had been almost certain she had imagined. “We can both rest for a while. Come, let me read to you.” His hand took hers, their fingers interlaced, and she felt deep in her being that he was right. He was home, and so was she.


End file.
